Tin-: COTTAGE GARDENER. 
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many nnforeseen cii'ctim.slances will conspire to mar what 
liad a^ipeared lo promise perfection. Howmncli less chance, 
then, must there be of even a passable arrangement, where 
no attempt is made to accomplish it. Of whatever preten 
sions it may be proposed to erect a residence, and however 
>im[)lc or elaborate the grounds which are to surround 
it, till! tir.st stop should be to coii.sider Ihcin (is a trholc. The 
practical recognition of this, as a principle, will form a most 
iniporlant foundation for all subsequent labours.—G.Lovnim, 
Landsciipe Gardener, Baijshot. 
DLS'J’RlJUrTION OE '.I’HE PRIZES AWARDED 
AT 'J'llE UNIVJ'IRSAI. HORTICULTURAL 
EMllBiTTON, PARIS. 
Thk distribution of the medals took place in one of the 
rooms belonging to the president of the corps IGjisIaiif. I\]. 
Tloucher, Minister of Agriculture, Commerce, and I’ublic 
Worksj was in the chair. 
Besiile the chairman were Count Morny, president of 
the “ Imperial and Central Society of Horticulture; ” the 
Duke Decazes, honorary president; iM. Mony de iMornay, 
director of the agricultural division, the members of the 
Council, the members of the Jury, and of the Imperial 
Commission. 
In opening the meeting, the chairman delivered the fol¬ 
lowing address:— 
“ Centlemen,—The Imperial and Central ITortictiltnral 
Society, formed by the amalgamation of two societies 
which 'were at one time rivals, has Just shown, in the most 
brilliant manner, the amount of good it can do. 
“ You have courageously organised a Horticultural Ex¬ 
hibition in the very vicinity of the Exhibitions of Industry 
and the Pine Arts. Instead of those former exhibitions of 
a day’s duration, which seemed to st'amp upon the results 
achieved a character of mcdificrity, you have undertaken to 
show', during six whole months, the delightful productions 
of a science, wdiich, in its progress and improvements, yields 
us more numerous and more beautiful tlowers ; more abun¬ 
dant and better varieties of fruit, which at once unfolds the 
luxuries of vegetation, and administers to the wants of man. 
“ In your great undertaking you have had to brave oppo¬ 
sition and incredulity from the beginning; but you liave 
kept all yoin- promises, and nobly performed your task; 
you have formed a permanent dower-garden out of the dry 
and bard-trodden ground in the Champs J'JIt/sees, and opened 
an exhibition with products requiring to be renewed from 
day to day. Six hundred and lifty peisons, from all parts, 
have contributed the most varied plants and the most orna¬ 
mental slnul)s. Flowers have succeeded dowers, and fruits 
liave succeeded fruits, without interruption, and in such pro¬ 
fusion, tliat the. number of objects has lieen raised to two 
himdred-and-dfty-thousand, including ninety-eight thousand 
Eases, and more than twenty thousand fruits. 
“ Rotwithstanding the frequently unfavourable state of the 
weather, too, your Exhiliition has been visited by throe- 
hundred-thoiisand persons, from all parts of the world ; and 
I am happy to say, gentlemen, that you have accomplished 
this grand result without sacrilicing anything to vain curiosity 
or false taste; without losing sight for a mommit either of true 
inlnciple or sound jiractice. 
“ I n tliat Exhibition, where some fonign countries, Algeria 
in parlicular, occupied a prominent place, you have been the 
means of drawing attention to new plants; as, for instance, 
to the Sireel Horijha, which w ill some day, perhaps, give, 
more alcohol than sugar, because of the great proportion of 
uncrystaiisable saccharine matter which it contains ; to the 
Jpitaina of .lapan, which may merit honourable consider¬ 
ation amongst articles of consumption, without taking the 
place of that esteemed esculent to which it has the greatest 
similarity; and to those tine cidlnns of Algeria, which are 
equal to I be very best samples from Virginia. 
“ You have gathered together in your plant houses tlowers 
of the rarest, colours and the most singular forms, including a 
considerable assortment of choice Orchids; these objects, 
wliich are always so remarkable or curious, extracting, as it 
were, the warm humidity of a decaying branch. I-'lowers, 
gentlemen, which 1 cannot allude to, without recalling to 
mind one of your distinguished members, IM. Tescatorc, 
w horn death has prematurely removed from among us, and 
who cultivated them with so much fondness and success. 
“ But the plants imported of late years into France, from 
intcrtropical regions, have not made you overlook the pro¬ 
ductions or the llora of our owui country. You have very 
properly considered that the first place belonged to our 
I cereals, to our plants used for fodder, to our flowers, and 
! to our fruits. Tile commonest annuals, as well us the )nost 
' generally grown shrubs, have all received your attention ; 
and as we admire these rich productioirs, which, under the 
skilful treatment of our horticulturists, have been increased 
I and improved, we may well be permitted to ask if France is 
1 not the country of the most varied and I)eautiful flowers, as 
welTas of the most delicious fruits ? 
j “ Berhaps, gentlemen, I am mistaken, but it seems to me 
; that there is, in such exhibitions, apart from strictly scientilic 
: knowledge, an element of moral improvement. To present 
! to our view such an attractive display of flowers—the eternal 
emblems of youth and freshm^ss ; of pure ideas and senti- 
! ments—must not the effect be to make us bettei'? To 
I invite us, for a season, to this study of nature, to its riches, 
1 its mysteries, its sublime harmonies, its immutable laws 
j which regulate the life and reproduction of the humblest 
; weed—is it not to till the mind with more elevated and 
I inore religious feelings ? 
i “ This meeting is for the purpose of rewarding so many 
i successful efl'orts. I thank you, IMi’. I’resident, for having 
been good enough to connect me with it. Owing to your 
exquisite taste in art, and your love of all that is beautiful 
and good, you have been allotted this year the double and 
delicate task of directing the labours of this Society, and 
p(rinting out the most meritorious in the Exhibiliort of 
Baintings. 
“ Some of the highest awards now to be made are due to 
the generosity' of our gr acious Empress and the Emperor. 
And his majesty has also conrmissiorted nre to honortr indi¬ 
vidual merit, and the scientific services of several among 
yort, with the highest distiuctiorrs. 
“ Itis for you, gentlemen, to entrust me w ith the duty, not 
less agreeable, of corrveyirrg the expressiorr of yotrr ackrrow- 
ledgnreirts to hiirr, whose powerful haird has so gloriorrsly 
raised oirr standard again, arrd who is always so prompt to 
pi’omote whatever cair increase the greatness, the beauty, 
and the prosperity of the nation.” 
Count IMorny therr addressed the meeting as follows :— 
“ Before calling over the rrames of those gentlernerr who 
have been indicated by the jury as meriting rewards, arrd 
since it is the fir st tirrre that 1 have the pleasrrre of being 
in a meeting of all the merrrbers of the Society, I take 
this opportunity to thank them for the horrorrr that they 
have done me in asking rrre to be their Bresideut. What 
has rrrade me especially setrsible of that horrorrr, is the 
character wdtich they have been so kind as give to that oftice 
in my person. There were two Horticultural Societies 
forrrterly, having separate interests, and, consequently, rrot 
so strong or so powerful to attain the ends which they re- 
I spectively aimed at. I w-as kindly informed, that if 1 
' accepted the Bresiderrey, the two Societies would urrite, ami 
! fortrr only one for the frrlrrrt'. I was told, that my itrflueuce 
' in the for riration of this rnrion would be greater tharr that 
of arry other persorr, arrd that rto other persorr could con- 
I trlbrrte so mtrch in that way to the prosperity and advairce- 
merrt of so irrrportaut a professiorr. Notwithstarrding my 
unfittress, I accepted this nrissiorr of correiliation, and rtow 
1 congr-afulate myself for having been, if not the carrse, at 
. least the means, of a junctiojr which will be advarrtageous 
1 to all. 
' “ I must say, also, that in this matter I have been naturally 
■ proiielled by a serrtinrent which I canrrot help expressing. 
jMan is, ccrlairdy, before what he is by his owtt efforts, what 
rralure has ntade hinr; birt he modifies hinrself according lo 
bis daily occupations and pursuits. His tastes urge him 
towards a certain emplojmicnt of his mind, and thorn, from 
the application of his tastes, there is a reaction on bis mind 
and cluu'aider. Now, I conclude that the love of gardening 
reopiires particular (lualities of mind and character. There 
must lie great patienci', gi’eat perseverance, and the most 
watchful attention, to obtain satisfactory results. Instead 
: of consuming his life with feverish activity in complex com- 
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